


Choices

by mattzerella_sticks



Category: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (TV)
Genre: Confused Josh Chan, Confused Nathaniel, F/M, Hangover, M/M, Naked Cuddling, Nathaniel and Josh are okay with it, Rebecca makes a decision, confused feelings, drunk sex aftermath, post 4x16, waking up in bed together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-12-26 15:51:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18285443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mattzerella_sticks/pseuds/mattzerella_sticks
Summary: Rebecca has a choice to make, and it'll all come out on Valentine's Day. However what happens when, on the night of her and Greg's date, two of her suitors drink a little too much and wind up entangled in something more than rivals would. Will this complicates matters further? What would happen now if Rebecca chose either one of them? And what about the songs?





	Choices

**Author's Note:**

> So I love Rebecca with Nathaniel, Rebecca with Josh, and Rebecca with Greg. However, after this episode I have a feeling it'll either be Greg or no one (choosing herself).
> 
> And that little button scene between Nathaniel and Josh was adorable and I love their dynamic and it'd be a fun way to end the show!
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

            Nathaniel whines, a pitiful sound at the back of his throat. The sunlight hits his eyes in an unforgiving attempt to wake him from unconsciousness. He stirs dejectedly, grumbling all the while. His mind slowly climbs out of the pit of drunkenness it dug for itself the night before. Piecing together what happened after that first glass of wine, how he ended up back in his apartment; the reel of his memories rewinds over and over again as the lens that captured them was too blurry in the later parts of the evening.

            The familiar groaning next to him gives him a helpful hint as to what he forgot. Josh rolls over, arm tossed casually over his waist. He breathes deep and sighs, squeezing him tight. Nathaniel’s heart flutters, his skin tinted red in embarrassment. Josh presses against him harder. “So warm…”

            “Josh,” Nathaniel squeaks, voice strangled by the intimacy, “Josh – wake _up_!”

            He blinks his eyes open, lifting his head from off the pillow to squint at Nathaniel. Once Josh realizes who’s in bed next to him, his eyes widen and he pushes back so violently he lands in a heap on the floor, tangled in the blankets. Scrambling into a sitting position, Josh leans on the bed to meet Nathaniel’s stare again. “What are you doing in my bed?”

            Nathaniel scowls, glaring. “We’re in _my_ bed.”

            “Oh,” Josh nods, “Gotcha.” He resumes his staring. “What am I doing in _your_ bed?”

            “If I knew, this wouldn’t have happened.” Nathaniel sits up, kneading a palm into his aching eyes. “Last I remember we were at the wine bar –“

            “Talking about different ways Greg could die,” Josh says, “You said something about a train and… that’s all I remember.”

            “How much did we have to drink?”

            “A _lot_.” Josh quiets, then, shifting his gaze to his hands. “Hey,” he starts, “do you think we…”

            He rolls his eyes. “No, when people get drunk and naked they almost _never_ have sex.” Josh makes a thoughtful sound, and Nathaniel bites back a curse. “I think it’s safe to say _something_ happened _._ ”

            Josh thins his mouth into a firm line. “So if we… well, you know… who put what in who?”

            Nathaniel goes to get up, but a pressure in his lower back has him sinking back into his mattress. “…I don’t think we can know for sure…”

            “Figures, what with the whole ‘no memory of anything happening’,” Josh shrugs, “Have you ever done something like this?”

            “Drunk sex or sex with a man?”

            “The second one.”

            “No,” Nathaniel shook his head, regretting it as his throbbing headache exacerbated itself, “Never really had the opportunity what with school and girls and money. Besides, if I were to ever do it with another guy it’d have to be somebody who looks as good as I do and, well… that’s hard to find.”

            Josh grins, blushing. “Aww, you think I’m as attractive as you? That’s sweet.”

            Nathaniel strikes down the urge to tear Josh down, fists clenching around his sheets. He takes a deep breath, and asks a question of his own. “What about you?”

            “What about me?”

            “Have you ever done it… with a man.”

            “Well, a few times,” Josh tells him – surprising Nathaniel – but he quickly tacks on, “But it didn’t really mean anything!”

            “It didn’t?”

            “No,” Josh explains, “When I was working at that bachelorette party bar –“  
            “Gay bar,” Nathaniel corrects him.

            “All these guys would compliment me during my breaks and say nice things about my dancing… they made me feel special so I thought I’d return the favor.” He skews his head to the side, thinking, “Although there was this one guy who looked like that actor Manny Jacinto – I mean, how could I have not slept with him. It _could_ have been him. He kept talking about his friend Kristen…” He gasps, “And I did kiss White Josh when he was questioning, but that was only a kiss – and I was helping a bro out.”

            Nathaniel bites his lip, blocking a chuckle that echoes within the confines of his mouth. “So you’ve slept with men before.”

            “Yes. Yes I have.”

            They fall back into the silence, neither feeling the need to break it. Nathaniel stares at Josh, and he does the same. It’s strange how the longer they spend in each other’s company the more comfortable he becomes. After the realization faded, Nathaniel takes in his rival’s features. Josh is a handsome man, with a strong jaw, kissable lips, and eyes that are so warm and kind. It’s like he took all the elements of the perfect dog and combined them with the typical ‘Boy Next Door’ persona. There’s no question why Rebecca fell for Josh if she got a peek at his dimples.

            Remembering Rebecca, Nathaniel’s mood deflates. He scrubs a hand down his face, “Shit…”

            “What?”

            “ _Rebecca_.”

            Josh’s expression must match his own, crestfallen and disappointed. “Oh no,” he says, slipping off the bed, “She’s supposed to be choosing one of us in a couple of days. If she found out…”

            “She won’t find out,” Nathaniel says. At Josh’s hanging jaw, he continues. “I mean, she will… _eventually_. But I don’t think we should tell her _now_. After she picks one of us… then sure.”

            He frowns. “So what? You’re going to tell her if she picks me?”

            Nathaniel won’t admit the thought crossed his mind. But he swept it away just as quickly as it appeared. “No, if she picks you then you can tell her… and if she picks me –“

            “Then you tell her,” Josh says, nodding, “That might work.”

            “Yeah.”

            “And, honestly, it’s Rebecca,” he says, “She’d probably find the idea of us doing it _hot_.”

            Nathaniel hates that he agrees with him. “She might even ask us to do it again, but with her in the middle.” He freezes, embarrassment creeping back into his cherry cheeks. “Not that I’d – uh… that I’d do this again, with you. Drunken mistakes and I – um… I wouldn’t want to _share_ Rebecca.”

            “Yeah, yeah,” Josh says, “Drunken mistakes…”

            His voice twinges with an odd quality Nathaniel can’t pin down in his post-inebriated state. Instead he steels his nerves and carefully lifts himself off his bed. The pain resurfaces, but not terrible enough to keep him bedridden. “I don’t think we should see each other again.”

            “You really know how to speak to a guy, Nathaniel.”

            “No I mean,” he sighs, “Not until Valentine’s Day. Minimize all this…” he gestures between them, “ _awkwardness_.”

            Josh takes a long time to give his answer. In that gap of uncertainty, Nathaniel watches as Josh pokes his tongue into his cheek. The skin bulges, and he glimpses a sloppier looking Josh pushing something else up against the inner lining of his cheek to make it bulge like that. He thinks unsexy thoughts, picturing his dead nanny’s ashes flying into his mouth, to will down the boner threatening to appear.

            Finally, Josh answers him. “Sure.”

            “Great,” he holds a hand out to Josh, still on the floor, “Shake on it?” Josh grabs it, each pump of their clasped hands charged with tension. Unfamiliar tension, that tugs at the loose threads hanging in Nathaniel’s mind. He doesn’t care for how much his worldview shifts, so he holds tight to Josh’s hand after they finished shaking and helps him stand.

            A mistake, he comes to understand, after his heft was so forceful Josh stood and fell forward into Nathaniel’s chest. Like he was a stove, Josh flings himself away and keeps a healthy distance. Neither dare look below each other’s necks.

            “Well,” Nathaniel says, “Maybe you should… _go_?”

            Josh agrees. He moves about the room, collecting his discarding clothes and putting them on as he goes. When he stops, his jeans and shirt have been thrown on, jacket, shoes, underwear and socks in hand. He lingers, feet brushing together in worry. Nathaniel’s heart beats into overtime as his intrusive thought that says he looks adorable like that. “What?”

            “Sorry, it’s just…” Josh blushes, scratching at his neck, “Usually when I have sex with someone I… kiss them goodbye.”

            “Seriously?”

            “The one time I didn’t I got into a car accident,” he tells him, “I feel like I need some good karma after this.”

            Nathaniel rolls his eyes, arms hanging at his sides with his palms upwards. “Sure, fine, okay! Whatever gets you out of here faster.”

            “Thanks,” Josh rushes out, stepping forward and back into Nathaniel’s space. He leans on his toes to reach his lips, his own pecking lightly at Nathaniel’s. After the first, small dip, Josh descends for a second, more meaningful embrace. This kiss tastes sweet, and has Nathaniel’s eyes fluttering shut. Josh pulls back, Nathaniel unconsciously following. He clears his throat, breaking Nathaniel from the spell. “I’ll, uh… I’ll just be going,” Josh says, spinning on his heel and over towards the door.

            Slamming the door on his way out, Nathaniel mourns his exit. Working through his grief in seconds, Nathaniel compartmentalizes and sets his focus back onto Rebecca. Even if its intensity has shrunk in the few short hours it was off her. 

* * *

            She didn’t choose him. She didn’t choose Josh. The second thought makes the first go down easier, like orange juice in a glass of vodka. Maybe that’s why he ordered the screwdriver. Behind him the Valentine’s Day party rages on, everyone delighting in the outcome. Valencia squeals in glee, already planning to use her winnings to buy Beth the biggest ring. Another reason to celebrate – Valencia proposed to Beth, and she said yes. Happy couples abound.

            He raises his glass. To Beth and Valencia. He tips it back and drains it in one sip. To Rebecca and Greg.

            Someone slides onto the stool next to him. He spies Josh from the corner of his eyes, back stiff and fingers drumming against the bar. “Isn’t this a familiar sight,” he greets him, “How are you holding up?”

            “I’m okay,” he says, “Better than I thought I’d be. You?”

            “Same, can’t complain.” And Nathaniel really can’t. Rebecca handled the messy situation perfectly in the best way, by performing a wondrous and beautiful ballad she wrote. In it, she explains how much she loved each of them in different ways and how they’ve all grown from meeting one another. It really brought things into perspective for him, and many others who the song wasn’t even about. Rebecca’s words spoke to everyone, even White Josh shed a tear during the performance. He can’t imagine what any of his friend’s lives would be like if she hadn’t swept into West Covina like a tornado. “She’s going to go far, if her musical is anything like the song she wrote.”

            “Yeah,” Josh nods, “Are you okay with her doing that? Basing it all about… us?”

            “Well it’s not only us, it’s about her life and journey,” Nate shrugs, “Besides, it’ll make her happy. And that’s what tonight was all about – Rebecca making a choice that would lead her to happiness.”

            “Yeah, happiness…” Josh drifts off into his own mind. Nathaniel orders them two glasses of wine, handing it over to him. Josh accepts it with a smile. “You know, even if I wasn’t picked… I’m glad that this is all over.”

            “I agree,” Nathaniel says, “ _Closure_. Like all the storylines that have followed us these past few seasons were wrapped up nicely. And by seasons, I mean the cyclical changes in weather that follow the year in a pattern.”

            “No, yeah I got that, and I feel the same way,” Josh says, “And now that this is all over with I feel, I don’t know… _free_? To do the same, make the decision to be _happy_. Even if with someone that’s not Rebecca.”

            “She’s an inspiration,” Nathaniel sighs, “but not the finish line. We’ve still got a few miles in our race before reaching that…”

            “Maybe…”

            Nathaniel looks over at Josh, watches as he stares into his half-filled wine glass. Swirling the plum nectar into a little vortex, biting at his lip. “Maybe?” he parrots him.

            “It’s just…” Josh shrugs, “I kinda missed talking to you, these past few days. I didn’t realize how much I would until you… weren’t there.”

            Nathaniel nods. He and Josh didn’t have the best start, and it took an uphill journey before they could exist in the same space. But once they got over that mountain things fell into place. Even in their battle for Rebecca, the rivalry hadn’t felt as heated. Their barbs weren’t as sharp and more like familiar bickering. Not having that presence by his side made everything seem _dimmer_.

            “So, I don’t know…” Josh meets his gaze, smiling, “maybe we could meet up sometime and talk about happy endings?”

            Nathaniel mimics Josh’s modest grin with his own, and slides his hand over Josh’s. “I’d like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought - drop a kudos/comment below!


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